Maritza Knight Winfunke

Maritza Knight Winfunke concentrates her practice in the area of real estate finance and capital markets. Her work includes representation of lenders, servicers and investors in various financial market transactions. Ms. Winfunke has significant experience representing master servicers, primary servicers and special servicers of securitized commercial mortgage loans in all aspects of loan-level asset management, including assumptions, transfers of ownership interests, initial public offerings, preferred equity investments and various property-related consent requests. She also has experience in the enforcement of defaulted commercial real estate loans and negotiating forbearances, modifications and other loan workouts. Ms. Winfunke provides valuable perspectives in counseling her clients to address complex legal issues. Her strong work ethic, professionalism, and passion for serving others complement her legal skill set and ability to thoughtfully advise her clients.

Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Winfunke was an associate in the Los Angeles office of one of the world’s largest law firms, where she coordinated complex real estate transactions, including commercial acquisitions, sales and financing, as well as wind energy development and project financing.

Experience:

• Representation of the largest special servicer of CMBS loans in the country and the largest master servicer of CMBS loans in the country in connection with loan assumptions, transfers of ownership interests and other loan-level asset management consent requests.
• Represented a private real estate investment fund in connection with enforcement of a defaulted loan and the post-foreclosure ownership of a hotel property in Maryland.
• Represented a preferred equity investor in acquiring management control of a real estate joint venture from its joint venture partner.
• Represented a CMBS special servicer in connection with the modification of a $127 million loan secured by an office building in Chicago.
• Represented a large New York-based national independent stock transfer agency in establishing successor borrower programs in connection with defeasances of CMBS trusts and restructuring of the related portfolios.

Education:

• University of Southern California Law School, J.D. (2005)
• Stanford University, B.A., English (2001)

Admissions:

• Georgia (2007)
• California (2005)